In a landmark move to safeguard Kenya’s iconic biodiversity amid escalating threats from climate change, habitat loss, and human encroachment the newly enacted Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2025 promises to modernize wildlife governance by centering communities at the heart of conservation efforts.
The new legislation, which replaces the 2013 Act clarifies the division of responsibilities between national and county governments, fostering a devolved approach to protection that experts say could prevent the extinction of endangered.
One of the Act’s most anticipated reforms tackles the perennial scourge of human-wildlife conflicts, which claim dozens of lives and destroy livelihoods annually in regions like Tsavo, Amboseli, and Laikipia. Under the new law, victims of wildlife attacks are eligible for compensation up to KES 5 million.
Conservation groups like the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) praise the framework for its potential to reduce retaliatory killings, which have decimated elephant populations by 20% in conflict hotspots over the past decade.
Poachers and traffickers face a reckoning under the Act’s stringent penalties. Illegal trade in endangered species now carries fines up to KSh 100 million and 20-year prison terms. Possession of bushmeat or wildlife carcasses without permits is outright banned, with offenders risking KSh 10 million fines or seven years behind bars. Polluting habitats through hazardous waste dumping or unregulated mining could land violators in jail for five years alongside KSh 2 million penalties.
The law expands “wildlife conservancies” community-led protected areas to include private lands and territorial waters, offering tax incentives and revenue-sharing from tourism.
At least 30% of gate fees from national parks must now flow back to adjacent communities, potentially injecting KSh 3 billion annually into rural economies.
Environmental lawyers, however, warn that vague clauses on “sustainable use” could open doors to controversial trophy hunting if not tightly regulated.
Climate adaptation features prominently in the new law, with provisions for habitat restoration and invasive species control. The Act requires annual biodiversity audits and integration of wildlife data into national climate plans.
